If I asked you what kind of animals visit or live in your garden, you might say butterflies, bees, or birds. But what if I told you there are other, less noticeable species that play a key role in keeping it healthy? These are called natural predators, tiny hunters, but big allies when it comes to controlling pests in a completely natural, chemical-free way.
Some of these include ladybugs and lacewings, which munch on aphids, or parasitic wasps that take care of pests like whiteflies. Others, like predatory bugs from the Anthocoris genus, are so good at hunting that they’re even used in organic farming.
But it’s not just insects doing this heroic work. Some vertebrates, like frogs, toads, hedgehogs, bats, and insect-eating birds, also join in as silent protectors. At night, they feast on slugs, larvae, beetles, and caterpillars that could seriously harm your plants if left unchecked.
So, now that you know about them, don’t freak out or shoo them away if you spot them in your garden. Instead, skip the pesticides, plant native flowers with lots of variety, leave little piles of leaves or wood, and add a water source.
Tell us, have you already had these visitors in your garden, or would you be up for inviting them?
Reference
Thompson, K. (s. f.). Garden Predators [PDF]. Wildlife Gardening Forum. Recuperado de WLGF.org
Smith, R M., Warren, P H, Thompson, K and Gaston, K J. (2006). Urban domestic gardens VI: Environmental Correlates of Invertebrate Species Richness. Biodiversity and Conservation 15, 2415-2438.
